Usually, individuals charged with first-degree murder who are fortunate enough to make bail are careful not to get into more trouble. But Michael Clark appears to be an exception to that rule. He was busted for DUI after being accused of killing City of Boulder staffer Marty Grisham in 1994. But now, he's back on the streets again.

According to the Boulder Police Department, Grisham, the city's data processing director, interrupted a late dinner at his Arapahoe Avenue apartment with his girlfriend to answer a door knock on the evening of November 1, 1994 -- and whoever he found there shot him four times and fled. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

Marty Grisham.

It didn't take long for attention to focus on Clark, a friend of Grisham's daughter, and no wonder. Earlier the day of his death, Grisham reported that a book of his checks had been stolen, with charges to his account eventually totaling more than $4,000. Clark eventually admitted to the theft, and he had access to the home because Grisham's daughter had given him a key, ostensibly to feed Grisham's cat. But he denied involvement in the murder and was not formally charged with the slaying in its immediate aftermath.

That changed in January, more than two years after the case was reopened. An arrest affidavit obtained by the Boulder Daily Camera cites comments Clark allegedly made to a Boulder County jail cellmate after the check-theft arrest and contradictions in stories he told about how he'd obtained a gun prior to Grisham's killing.

Grisham's apartment building, in an image provided by Boulder Police.

Clark was released on a $100,000 bond. But this week, he was back behind bars after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The Daily Camerareports that the tip came from his probation officer, who said Clark seemed to be soused during a meeting -- something he pretty much admitted in subsequent conversations with authorities, police records say. Clark told cops he'd taken shots of whiskey and gin at three hour intervals beginning at midnight before driving from Dillon to Boulder for the meetup. But while he brought a gin-and-tonic-filled water bottle with him, he insisted he didn't suck on it while on the road.

This incredible sacrifice didn't prevent a judge from placing another bond on Clark, this one worth $1,000. But Clark was able to pay it, too, and he's been released again. He's next expected in court on April 5 for a hearing related to the murder accusation, giving him nearly two months to walk the straight and narrow -- or not.

Look below to see a larger version of Clark's mug shot.

Michael Clark.

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Michael Roberts has written for Westword since October 1990, serving stints as music editor and media columnist. He currently covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports and stories that defy categorization.